Chekhov and Oates: comparative literary analysis

Lady with the Dog by a. Chekhov, JC Oates

The short story the Lady with the Dog by Anton Chekhov chronicles the lives of two married individuals whose love affair was illustrated as their way of filling in feelings of sadness and lack of fulfillment in their lives. Chekhov's short story is unconventional in the sense that it 'romanticizes' an otherwise immoral behavior in the society. The struggle that the main characters, Anna and Gurov, have experienced illustrates this romantic angle in their love affair. Narrated from Gurov's point-of-view, the story ended openly, giving the readers an indication that the characters are truly in love but are still uncertain about their marriages and their future as a couple.

Joyce Carol Oates took a different take on Chekhov's short story, which she also entitled, the Lady with the Pet Dog. Using Chekhov's plot as the framework of the story, Oates provided a contemporary but almost similar and parallel depiction of the two lovers' lives. While Chekhov highlighted Gurov's thoughts and feelings about the affair, Oates centered primarily on Anna's character, communicating through her the 'romantic' nature of her love affair, including how she perceived the men in her life (her husband and her lover).

The points of similarity in Chekhov and Oates' works are apparent; however, it is also noteworthy that their works also have salient differences. This analysis of the Lady with the Pet Dog bring into focus these similarities and differences in the manner by which the authors developed and delivered their stories. The discussion that follows posits that Chekhov and Oates' stories complement each other, completing the contemporary love story of the sad and confused lovers. While the stories use the same plot, they are effective and complementary to each other mainly because of their differences. The stories differed in the authors' adopted points-of-view and characters' perceptions of each other as lovers and individuals. Chekhov provided Gurov's point-of-view and primarily portrayed his main character as uncertain about himself and the future of his affair with Anna. Oates' story was more definitive: she used Anna's point-of-view both in describing her lover and their love affair and demonstrated a transition and eventual change in the main character's (woman) perception of love and herself as an individual.

Chekhov evidently sets the 'stage' for the story, determining the story plot and providing points of discussion for the readers by providing an open ending for them. Anna and Gurov's story is not uncommon among lovers whose respective relationships have become too normal or unfulfilling, hence their need to connect with another individual and find satisfaction in each other however 'immoral' their relationship is perceived by the society.

Moreover, Chekhov provided an interesting approach to storytelling, narrating the story from a man's point-of-view (Gurov's). Through Gurov's character, the author was able to effectively communicate the man's confusion, uncertainty and strong feeling of want for Anna. It was evident that Gurov's actions and behavior towards his wife and towards other women negate everything that he had done, felt and thought about Anna. Chekhov likened his characters to a child who is just starting to understanding a new concept and meaning of love, leading him to further evaluate himself not just as a lover to Anna, but as a man and individual as he appears to Anna and other people:

He had two lives: one, open, seen and known by all who cared to know…and another life running its course in secret… everything that was essential, of interest and value to him…was hidden from other people; and all that was false in him…all that was open.

While Gurov admitted and acknowledged the hypocritical life he led by carrying on a love affair with Anna while still living with his wife, Anna remained confused and uncertain about herself and her lover in Oates' redevelopment of Chekhov's original short story. Created to complete the missing information on events surrounding Anna and her lover's affair in Chekhov's story, Oates' the Lady with the Pet Dog primarily centers on Anna's feelings and thoughts throughout the affair. In Anna, Oates developed a contemporary spin to Chekhov's story, albeit the plot and essential events in the original story remained and were highlighted by looking at Anna's life and point-of-view of the events that occurred between her and her lover. Noticeable was Oates' use of 'friend' as reference to Anna's lover instead of directly naming him, which further reinforced the fact that the story was all about Anna.

Complementing Chekhov's story, particularly its ending, Oates developed a more definitive end to her story: despite all the confusion and uncertainty she felt throughout the affair, Anna achieved clarity in the end. Just like Chekhov's Gurov, Anna finally acknowledged that she actually loves her lover, even though she has denied him many times in her mind. This acceptance was mirrored in this flood of realization from Anna: "…she did not hate him, she did not hate herself any longer… it was obvious to her that she had, all along, been behaving correctly" (371).